1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel electrically conductive forms of poly(heterocyclic vinylenes), especially poly(thiophene vinylenes) or equivalently, poly(2,5-thienylene vinylenes), and to solutions comprising poly(heterocyclic vinylenes) either in the conductive form or non-conductive form. Another aspect of this invention relates to a method of using the solution of this invention to form conducting polymer articles, including films, fibers, and coatings and methods of using such solutions as conducting liquids. Yet another aspect of this invention relates to novel process for preparing the poly(heterocyclic vinylenes) of this invention.
2. Prior Art
There has recently been an increased interest in the electrical conductivity of polymeric systems. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,321,114 and 4,442,187 are directed to conjugated polymers having conjugation in all or a part of at least one backbone chain thereof, such as polyacetylene, polyphenylene, and poly(phenylene sulfide). It has recently been discovered that these conjugated backbone polymers can be chemically doped in a controlled manner with electron acceptor and/or electron donor dopants to produce electrically conducting polymers. Doping procedures and certain representative doped polymers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,222,903 and 4,204,216.
In the general field of conducting polymers, it is believed very difficult to dope one of these conjugated backbone polymers to the extent that it becomes a good conductor (10.sup.-3 -100 ohm.sup.-1 cm.sup.-1) and thereafter dissolve the polymer in any solvent-system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,727 and 4,599,194 disclose novel polymer solutions containing a doped sulfur-containing or oxygen-containing aromatic polymer. The solvent of this solution is restricted to solvents containing Lewis Acid halides having a liquid phase under atmospheric pressure for at least one temperature between -150.degree. C. and +100.degree. C., such as arsenic trifluoride, phosphorus trifluoride, phosphorous pentafluoride, phosphorus trichloride, boron trifluoride and the like. These solutions can be used to form articles, as for example, by casting the solution onto a substrate, and removing the solvent. This solution and method represents a significant advancement over the art; however, it does suffer from certain economic and practical disadvantages resulting from the cost and high environmental reactivity and toxicity of the specific solvents which must be used.
A few conductive species of polyalkylthiophenes are known, having been primarily prepared by electrochemical polymerization. Illustrative of such species are poly(3-methylthiophene) and poly(3,4-dimethylthiophene). R. J. Waltman, J. Bargon, and A. F. Diaz, J. Phys. Chem., 1983, 87, 1459-1463. G. Tourillon, D. Govrier, P. Garnier, and D. Viven, J. Phys. Chem., 1984 88, 1049-1051. S. Hotta, T. Hosaka, and W. Shimotsuma, Syn. Metals. 1983, 6, 317-318. However, the polymers prepared electrochemically are not soluble in common organic solvents such as acetonitrile, propylene carbonate, tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, dimethyl formamide, nitrobenzene, nitropropane, toluene, and the like. In the absence of solutions, or plasticized forms, the ability to economically fabricate articles out of the conducting forms of these poly(alkylthiophenes), especially semi-conducting and conducting polymer films, fibers, and coatings, especially using conventional solvents or melt-forming techniques, is greatly restricted. In fact, the electrochemical methods are reported to give homogeneous conductive polymer films only up to film thickness of about 2000 .ANG.. Powdery deposits are obtained when attempts are made to grow films thicker than this. (G. Tourillon and F. Garnier, J. Poly. Sci. Poly. Phys. Ed., 1984, 22, 33-39.)
The unsubstituted polythiophenes form highly conductive complexes on doping which are not stable in normal environments (containing air or water vapor). However, electrochemically prepared conductive poly(3-methylthiophene) is environmentally stable. (G. Tourillon and F. Garnier, J. Electrochem. Soc., Electrochem. Sci, Techn. 1983, 130, 2042-3.
A few conductive oligomeric species of poly(thiophene vinylenes), i.e., 6 to 8 repeat units, are known. For example, such materials are described in Kossmehl, G. et al., Makromol Chem., V. 131, pp. 15-54 (1970), and Kossmehl G., Ber. Bunsenges Phys. Chem., 83, pp. 417-426 (1979). These oligomeric species of poly(thiophene vinylenes) exhibit several undesirable properties, which limit their utility in potential applications such as EMI shielding, and as anti-static materials. For example, the above-cited publications disclose that these oligomeric poly(thiophene vinylenes) are insoluble in common organic solvents which essentially precludes solution processability, are infuseable which essentially precludes melt processability, and exhibit low conductivities (10.sup.-12 10.sup.-2 ohm.sup.-1 cm.sup.-1) which essentially precludes use of such materials in EMI shielding and circuitry applications.
Thus, there is a need for economically attractive techniques to facilitate the production of conductive and semi-conducting forms of environmentally stable poly(heterocyclic vinylenes), such as poly(thiophene vinylene) polymers and copolymers, on an industrially important scale, to facilitate the doping process, and especially, to develop processing techniques to form shaped articles such as films, fibers and coatings of semi-conducting and conducting species of poly (heterocyclic vinylenes).